I am looking for information regarding compensation for "Atomic Vets"
(those exposed to radiation during govt. testing from 1945-1963).  Is
there compensation for those who develop radiation-linked cancers such
as multiple myeloma, how do they go about applying, is there
compensation for widows of these people and how do they go about
applying?

Dear susanm1211,

According to the "Radiation Exposure Compensation Act" (RECA), 42
U.S.C. § 2210 note (1994), passed by Congress in October 1990, Atomic
Veterans or, should they be deceased, also their family members (this
includes their widows) may indeed file a claim for compensation. There
is no time limit after the death of an Atomic Veteran that would
prevent family members to file.

After the latest amendments to the RECA, there are five categories of
claimants: uranium miners, uranium millers, ore transporters,
downwinders, and onsite participants. Each category requires similar
eligibility criteria: exposure to radiation and existence of a
compensable disease.

For onsite participants, for example, exposure to radiation means that
the claimant must have been present "onsite" above or within the
official boundaries of the Nevada, Pacific, Trinity, or South Atlantic
Test Sites at any time during a period of atmospheric nuclear testing
and must have "participated" during that time in the atmospheric
detonation of a nuclear device.
After the onsite participation, the claimant contracted one of the
following specified diseases: leukemia (other than chronic lymphocytic
leukemia), lung cancer, multiple myeloma, lymphomas (other than
Hodgkin's disease), and primary cancer of the thyroid, male or female
breast, esophagus, stomach, pharynx, small intestine, pancreas, bile
ducts, gall bladder, salivary gland, urinary bladder, brain, colon,
ovary, or liver (except if cirrhosis or hepatitis B is indicated).

To fill a claim for compensation, you can either download the claim
forms from the Justice Department's Radiation Exposure Compensation
Program website or request them to be mailed to you:
http://www.usdoj.gov/civil/torts/const/reca/claimform.htm

For more information, please visit the Justice Department's Radiation
Exposure Compensation Program website or contact their Exposure
Compensation Program:


U.S. Department of Justice Radiation
Exposure Compensation Program
P.O. Box 146
Ben Franklin Station
Washington, D.C. 20044-0146
--
Phone: 1-800-729-7327
E-Mail: civil.reca@usdoj.gov
Website: http://www.usdoj.gov/civil/torts/const/reca/


The Atomic Veterans of America recommend on their website the
following in addition:

Contact the U.S. Department of Energy (Bechtel, Nevada) in Las Vegas,
Nevada and request your Radiation Exposure Film Badge History so you
can prove you were in the nuclear tests, the names of all nuclear test
participants are kept on file at Bechtel Nevada.
Request the Radiation Exposure Film Badge History form NV-192, you
will also need the Privacy Act Form, request both forms. When you
receive the forms from Las Vegas, fill them out completely and return
them to the DoE Las Vegas address. Be sure to also request all the
information they have listed about you, especially the Form For
Recording Film Badge Issue And Processing Results and also the Form
For Recording Film Badge Issue And Processing Results --Equipment.
Make sure you tell them which atomic test you were in, your military
unit or organization and the date you were exposed to radiation. You
should receive your Radiation Exposure Film Badge History in a few
weeks.
After you receive the forms from the DoJ and from Las Vegas, fill out
and submit all forms to the U.S. Department of Justice. It would also
be helpful to have your doctor or attorney attach an affidavit stating
that it's their opinion the health problem of the person affected was
caused by radiation exposure at a U.S. nuclear test site.

For your convenience, here is a direct link to information on the
website of the Department of Energy, Nevada Site Office:
http://www.nv.doe.gov/programs/privacy/privacy.htm#Exposure

Contact information:

U.S. Department of Energy
Attn: Dosimetry Research Project, M/S CF041
Bechtel Nevada
P.O. Box 98521
Las Vegas, NV 89193-8521
--
Phone (general contact):  (702) 295-3521 
Fax (general contact):  (702) 295-0154 
E-Mail: nevada@nv.doe.gov
Website: http://www.nv.doe.gov/


Sources:

U.S. Department of Justice: Exposure Compensation Program
http://www.usdoj.gov/civil/torts/const/reca/

Atomic Veterans of America
http://www.angelfire.com/tx/atomicveteran/

The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Web Page for
Information on Occupational Radiation Exposure at NRC Licensed
Facilities: Requests for NRC Dose Records
http://www.reirs.com/requests.htm

National Association of Atomic Veterans
http://www.naav.com/


Search terms used:
"Atomic Vets"
://www.google.de/search?q=%22Atomic+Vets%22&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=de&btnG=Google+Suche&meta=
"atomic veterans" compensation
://www.google.de/search?hl=de&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&newwindow=1&q=%22atomic+veterans%22+compensation&meta=
"RADIATION EXPOSURE COMPENSATION ACT "
://www.google.de/search?q=%22RADIATION+EXPOSURE+COMPENSATION+ACT+%22&hl=de&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&newwindow=1&start=0&sa=N
"Department of Energy" bechtel reca
://www.google.de/search?q=%22Department+of+Energy%22+bechtel+reca&hl=de&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&newwindow=1&start=0&sa=N
"Dosimetry Research Project" bechtel
://www.google.de/search?q=%22Dosimetry+Research+Project%22+bechtel&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=de&meta=


Hope this is what you were looking for!
Very best regards,
Scriptor

really appreceiate the thoroughness and the answer came in less than an hour!